Munitions in the news

Published April 27, 2008 10:20 pm - A Mercer-area teenager riding his four-wheelers Saturday evening stumbled upon a World War II-era bomb.

Teenager finds WWII-era bomb
Inert relic being given to Army

By Tom Davidson
Herald Staff Writer

EAST LACKAWANNOCK TOWNSHIP —
Warning: Don’t try this at home.

Sixteen-year-old Adam Bortz was out riding his four-wheeler Saturday evening in the shadow of the McCandless Ford-Mercury dealership outside Mercer.
“I got off of it,” he said, and was walking around the woods when he said he stumbled on what turned out to be a World War II-era mortar.
“I tripped over the fins,” of the partially-buried shell, he said.
“I loaded it up on the four-wheeler and brought it back home,” he said, dropping it once on the way.
Then he showed it to mom.
“She was like, ‘Where did you get that?’,” Adam, a sophomore at Mercer Area High School, said.
They loaded it into a pickup and took it about 2 miles to family friend Ron Bequeath.
“They weren’t sure what it was,” Bequeath said.
Bequeath said it looked like an old mortar and called state police.
“It had the potential of being real (armed),” Trooper Michael Fennell said.
Police called in a bomb squad from Harrisburg that arrived about 2 a.m., Fennell said.
“This is a pretty substantial size (mortar),” Fennell said.
The squad secured it and determined it was inert, Fennell said.
“In this case there appears to have been no danger,” he said.


The bomb squad took the mortar, which Fennell said weighed about 40 pounds.

“It would take a World War II vet” to identify it, he said.
Per procedure, it will be turned over to the Army today, he said.
Although it turned out OK, Fennell said this isn’t what to do if you find one of these relics of the past.
“Call us immediately,” Fennell said. “Don’t touch it. We have our own bomb squad

The Herald, Sharon, Pa. - Teenager finds WWII-era bomb

 

More Than 200 WWII Artillery Shells Found At Old Drive-In

Authorities Detonate Old Munitions To Prepare For Development


POSTED: 3:52 pm EDT April 28, 2008
UPDATED: 6:35 pm EDT April 28, 2008


BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. -- In South Jersey, the discovery of unexploded artillery shells from World War II has stalled plans to develop a new expo center.
The sheer number of artillery shells staggered the mayor.

It was found at the now closed Palmyra Drive-In Theater on Route 73.
People who work next to the old theater said they've been hearing authorities detonate old Army munitions on Thursdays.The old munitions were found on the site that the borough wants to develop.
"We were hoping, hoping to only find one or two or three maybe. We're now up to nearly 200, or 181 as reported to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, but there's since been another 20," Palmyra Mayor John Gural, Jr. said.
The Army was anxious to develop new anti-tank rounds for the military during World War II. So the secret test site was what later became the Palmyra Drive-In Theater.
The artillery shells were developed over at the Frankford Arsenal. And while some were tested on the site of what was to be the drive-in, other shells got there the old fashion way -- the Army actually fired them from Philadelphia, across the river, into Palmyra.
When the war ended, the Army said the site was cleaned up. The land returned to civilian use, which in this case became a drive-in, complete with concession stands.
"It's scary. We've literally been living in a minefield out there for all of these years," Gural said. "All of the shells are, have live fuses. Some of them contain high explosive materials."
Thousand upon thousands of men, women, and children used those concession stands over the years. And probably few of them ever knew what was really buried beneath the land.
John Kozierachi owns a business right next to the old drive-in and remembers being there in the good old days.
"I did when I was a kid, yes I did. Obviously, you wouldn't go back," Kozierachi, of Pennsauken, said.
"How long have they been there?" Marie Furey, of Cinnaminson, said. "So, that should have been closed a long time ago."
When the drive-in closed, the site was used for a flea market. Police ordered it shut down in March because some of the shells were sticking out of the ground.
Until the shells are removed, the development of a 200,000-square-foot expo center -- a revenue maker for Palmyra -- is on hold.

More Than 200 WWII Artillery Shells Found At Old Drive-In - Local News Story - WCAU | Philadelphia

 

WWII munitions lurk near Tacony-Palmyra Bridge

By Sam Wood
Inquirer Staff Writer
Families flocked to the drive-in near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge for four decades. In its heyday, cars packed with children lined up on Route 73 to get in.
The marquee trumpeted a smattering of hits: Mel Brooks' comic masterpiece Blazing Saddles was screened there in 1974.
More often it was home to cinematic bombs. The big-bug epic Empire of the Ants, starring Joan Collins, had a brief run in 1977.
No one suspected bombs of a different sort lay underneath the parked station wagons.
During World War II, the site served as a top-secret U.S. Army proving ground.
Last year, Palmyra began a cleanup of the 60-acre drive-in with an eye toward redevelopment. The site - nearly a third of Palmyra, according to the borough mayor - is owned by National Amusements. National Amusements, which runs 1,800 movie theaters, is owned by the media giant Viacom Inc.
"We knew there could be leftover shells," Palmyra Mayor John Gural said yesterday. "But what we found was a minefield. It really is mind-blowing."
Workers have unearthed 180 shells, Gural said.
"We expected to find one or two," he said.
All of the shells have live detonators, he said, though not all contain high explosives. Many are filled with wax to simulate the weight of a real shell.
"Because it was a hush-hush operation, the Army said they wouldn't have left anything behind for 'the enemy to find,' " Gural said. "I guess that didn't include the residents of Palmyra."
Gural said it was difficult to find a specialist to remove the munitions.
"Most companies that do this work are in the Middle East right now, in Iraq or Afghanistan," he said.
Each Thursday workers from MMG, a Tennessee firm, carefully explode the shells at the drive-in site.
During the 1940s, a 25-acre plot in the shadow of the bridge served as a target for antitank weapons developed at Philadelphia's Frankford Arsenal.
The Army also lobbed howitzer shells at the site from across the river, according to published reports.
After the war, the Army abandoned the site. The grounds were paved over and opened as the Tacony Palmyra Bridge Drive-In in 1957.
The drive-in closed in 1986. National Amusements leased the lot for a flea market. In March, the flea market was suddenly shuttered on Palm Sunday, when the state declared the site unsafe for the public. The closing stranded dozens of market vendors.
Since then explosives experts have combed only 65 percent of the site. Gural expects it will take two more months to complete the job and an additional nine months to remove other environmental hazards.
The state has paid $4.6 million so far to clean it up, Gural said. Uncovering the munitions has cost nearly $2 million and the tab keeps growing.
"We have to reclaim this land," Gural said. "It's the last piece of undeveloped property within the town limits."
Palmyra officials hope to lure the former Expo Center, formerly based in Fort Washington, to build on the property.
"We don't want to put residential housing on top of a minefield," Gural said.
The town is also wooing NASA in hopes the space agency will build a Challenger space education center there.
"There could even be a display about bombs in the parking lot," Gural said and laughed.
But Gural isn't joking about National Amusements and Viacom.
"Their only contribution has been to agree to shut down their flea market operation," he said.
National Amusements and Viacom did not return calls or e-mails requesting comment.
The state is shouldering the entire cost of the cleanup, Gural said, and the residents of Palmyra are suffering all the headaches.
When the project is finished, Palmyra wants to buy the land. "We're increasing the value of the property," Gural said. "Of course, it's a public-safety issue, but Viacom gets a free ride."

WWII munitions lurk near Tacony-Palmyra Bridge | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/30/2008

 

Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Here a little thing from my province! Take that Mr.Berg!

 

Pinellas Deputies: Women Find WWII Ordnance While Cleaning



By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 2, 2008
Updated: 03:45 pm
BELLEAIR BEACH - A mother and her daughter today stumbled upon military ordnance — and, as it turns out, a live grenade — as they were cleaning out the mother's garage, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
The items found are thought to be World War II artifacts the woman's late husband had collected.
After the daughter called 911, deputies went to the home at 100 First St. this morning, and the Hillsborough sheriff's bomb squad also was summoned. The home was evacuated, and neighbors were notified.
The Hillsborough bomb squad took possession of the items, one of which turned out to be a live hand grenade.
Hannah Waldrop, 79, apparently wasn't aware her late husband had kept his mementos in the box in the garage, said Pinellas sheriff's spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda. She and her daughter, Jane Waldrop, 53, who is visiting from Augusta, Ga., found the mementos about 10:40 a.m., Barreda said.

Pinellas Deputies: Women Find WWII Ordnance While Cleaning

 

Man finds WWII grenade in backyard

Posted: May 5, 2008 03:04 PM PDT
Updated: May 5, 2008 03:04 PM PDT

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - An explosive discovery at a home today just off of Aimar Avenue near Laroche Avenue in Savannah.
Around noon, a man was digging in his backyard when he found a World War II grenade. Police, firefighters and the explosive ordinance disposal team came out and took the grenade away.
No word if the grenade was still live.

WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Man finds WWII grenade in backyard

 

Tuesday May 6, 2008

21 WWII bombs found in riverbank




JOHOR BARU: Twenty-one World War II mortar shells were unearthed from the riverbank of Sungai Melayu in Gelang Patah near here.
The cylindrical bombs have been taken to the armoury at the Southern Region Marine Police headquarters here.
This is the second batch of WWII artillery found along the river since the recovery of more than 120 bombs in February.
Federal Marine Police commander Senior Asst Comm (II) Isa Munir said a villager who went looking for fish bait discovered three mortar bombs at 4pm last Friday.
He said personnel from the bomb disposal squad and the Marine Police diving unit were then despatched to the scene.
“In two days, we removed 17 mortars from the river,” he said.
SAC Isa said the bombs, which are still active, would be defused at a shooting range today.

21 WWII bombs found in riverbank

 

WWII shell shuts university site



Part of the University of Brighton was cordoned off for nearly four hours after builders unearthed a World War II artilliary shell.
The device was discovered by a construction company worker at the Falmer site on Wednesday morning.
Sussex Police placed a 100m (328ft) cordon around the shell until bomb disposal experts removed the device, which was found to be harmless.
Students and staff were allowed back into the area at about 1515 BST. A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "I think a lot of the students used the time to enjoy the sunshine."
BBC NEWS | England | Sussex | WWII shell shuts university site

 

AFP/Jiji Press Photo: Japanese Self Defence Force's bomb-disposal squad removes an unexploded bomb, believed to have been dropped...





16,000 evacuated as dud WWII bomb removed in Tokyo
Sun May 18, 2:34 AM ET


TOKYO (AFP) - Some 16,000 people were evacuated to shelters in Tokyo on Sunday as troops removed an unexploded bomb believed to have been dropped by the US military during World War II, officials said.

Train services were halted and roads sealed off as local authorities put a cordon around a 500 metre (1,650 feet) radius of the bomb found in Tokyo's residential area of Chofu.
The Self-Defence Force's explosive ordnance disposal team began an operation Sunday morning and successfully removed the one-tonne US-made bomb buried some 3.5 metres below the ground, officials said.

16,000 evacuated as dud WWII bomb removed in Tokyo - Yahoo! News

 

POLICE DETONATE WW II BOMB FOUND AT LABUAN AIRPORT


Bernama - Monday, May 19 LABUAN, May 19 (Bernama) -- Police today detonated a World War II bomb which was found in a construction site at the Labuan airport on Friday, a police spokesman said.


The American-made bomb was of the Arial type, weighed 226 kg and measured slightly more than a metre in length and less than a metre in diameter, said Lance Corporal Ismail Aziz.
The Labuan police bomb squad head said the bomb had to be detonated as it posed a risk.
A construction worker found the bomb about 100 metres from the airport building, following earthworks for the construction of a runway.
--BERNAMA JH SHY GR

POLICE DETONATE WW II BOMB FOUND AT LABUAN AIRPORT - Yahoo! Malaysia News

 

World war II mortar bomb found in Kg Sodomon near Kepayan

21st May, 2008 PENAMPANG : A World War II mortar bomb was found in Kg Sodomon near Kepayan yesterday morning.
The relic measuring 80mm in diameter and about 38cm long was discovered by construction workers clearing the rubbish in the area.
Police rushed to the scene after being informed at 8am and three hours later the bomb was safely detonated by a bomb squad from Kepayan.
District police chief DSP Madang Usat said it was an offence to keep explosive materials that could endanger the lives of people.
He reminded several cases in Kota Belud where villagers where killed when the bombs they collected from a military shooting range exploded.
The victims were attempting to dismantle the bomb hoping to get scrap iron to sell when the bombs blew up. -SHANE SHAH

New Sabah Times

 

WWII bomb discovered on gas plant




Parts of an East Yorkshire village have been evacuated after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered on one of the UK's largest gas terminals.
The explosive was found by workers at the plant in Easington near Withernsea, which provides 20% of the UK's gas.
Ministry of Defence police, who give armed security to the site, have been dealing with the bomb since 1000 BST.
A resident said Humberside Police officers had been stopping drivers from entering the village by closing roads.
A specialist explosive team from the Army's Catterick garrison in North Yorkshire is at the scene to dispose of the bomb.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "Although it is situated within the site, some local roads have been cordoned off until the ordnance has been safely dealt with.
"As a precaution the site has been fully evacuated but gas production has not been affected at this time."
The MoD police were drafted in January 2007 to guard what is deemed "critical infrastructure" as part of a major review of the UK's security strategy. The longest underwater gas pipeline in the world runs for 1,200km (745 miles) between the East Yorkshire plant and Norway.

BBC NEWS | England | Humber | WWII bomb discovered on gas plant

 

WW II mine kills four Published: Wednesday, 28 May, 2008, 06:28 AM Doha TimeCAIRO: Four people were killed, including a child, and 13 wounded when an old mine exploded in a scrap metal shop in the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Alexandria yesterday, a security official said.
The mine, thought to date from World War II, exploded as workers in the shop tried to take it apart not realising that it was explosive. - AFP

Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper - Gulf/Arab World

 

Munitions experts, what is it? Working a renovation project on my nephew's home about four years ago, my brother-in-law found a bomb casing under the driveway slab. No information could be found on how it came to rest in the sleepy rural town. Making the local paper, Jay Leno picked up on the headline during one of his Tonight Show broadcasts.

 

From the Yellow paint on the casing and no fuze in the nose it would be a dummy training bomb. Dont know what weight it is from the pic as there is nothing nearby to reference. I would say perhaps a 500 pounder.

 

Length is about 4.5'. is there any way to determine the year?

 

Well it does look like a 500 pounder. Im not sure how you would find out the date unless there were marked on the casing. BTW I have found this site very helpful.

Aerial Bombs

 

Dang! All we find in my country is the occasional cow pat. How monotonous!

 

I used to hunt ducks at Farmersville.

 

I use to hunt small game in the area back in the 70's.